A Feminist Approach To Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse

Feminism is one of the most active organizations in the west today. The development of feminism has gone through three stages. As a woman writer in the beginning stage of feminism, Virginia Woolf has been the focus of people's attention for her feminist thoughts. Her feminist thoughts are rooted in the fact of the society at that time, and are greatly influenced by her life experiences. During her 37 years'(1904-1941) literary career, Woolf experiences the later period of the first feminism and the front stage of the second feminism. Along with this transition, her feminist thoughts also become mature.To the Lighthouse is Woolf's masterpiece that symbolizes her maturity in feminist thoughts. It is also a work which bears her autobiographical elements with the Ramsays the reproduction in art of Woolf's parents and Lily the writer herself. By creating these characters, Woolf discloses and analyzes the present opposite situation between men and women determined by logo-centrism in the traditional patriarchal society. Towards this abnormal situation, she formulates her solving plan and gives her unique point of view as well as practice mode about women's writing and words.In the work, Mrs. Ramsay appears as a perfect woman and Lily a new woman. Through reading the work, we could strongly feel that the new woman wins the perfect woman, which is the idea the writer aims to express. Androgynous thought reflected on Lily helps her get over the negative influence brought by androcentrism, which makes her achieve breakthrough and realize her dream.What the work reflects through the writer's feminist thoughts is the essence of harmony. The traditional woman Mrs. Ramsay defenses for man's supreme position, whose intention is for harmony; the new woman Lily tries to get rid of the influence brought by the traditional women's life style, who is also pursuing harmony. The result is satisfactory:Lily's painting is completed at last and James'dream to travel to the lighthouse also comes true. Everyone's pursuits have their respective endings. Going to the lighthouse is a spiritual traveling and everyone's thoughts have been sublimed after that. What the lighthouse sheds is harmonious light.The thesis mainly explores Virginia Woolf's feminist thoughts reflected in To the Lighthouse from the thoughts and methods of writing. It can be divided into three chapters. Chapter 1 narrates Woolf's unique feminine consciousness, and explores the cause of formation of her feminist thoughts from the factors of society and family. Chapter 2 analyzes the female characters in the work from the characters'voice, the roles in the work and their different values. The two main heroines'varied fates and the causes are also analyzed. Chapter 3 explores Woolf's writing consciousness of woman. Her writing idea of androgyny is a true picture of her feminist thoughts, also an innovation of the traditional women's writing style. Woolf tries her best to break away from the fetters of men's thinking of writing, using a unique writing style to pave a way for the women to illustrate their innermost thoughts. Androgynous thought is also a good therapy for the work's heroine Lily to realize herself and finish her journey of spirit.